Flare assembly



Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED I Application smss 2,138,622 FLARE ASSEMBLY Clark M. Bolser, Des Moines, Iowa 8 Claims.

My invention relates to a flare assembly which is primarily intended for mobiles, but which may other ways.

My object is to provide fuel and for one or more use with pleasure autobe used in a variety of container for liquid flares, which container has .a top that can be fastened on so as to make the whole container leakproo A further object is to provide in connection one or more flares adapted the container, and so conwhen they are submerged in the will be automatically to provide such flares and container with cooperating means whereby the tainer I is preferably its middle from top to bottom,

flares may be removed from out the necessity user into the fuel in the container withfor putting the fingers of the the container.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more panying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 1s aperspective view an automobile equipped. with a The use of flares in connection become quite general.

tion of trucks has the lower flare being fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accomof the front of flare. assembly vertical sectional view of such a illustrated in side elevation of the container; and

ofone of the flares.

with the opera- When the truck is compelled to stop on the highway,

the trucker can light his flar hind the truck and in front he desires, at the side of the es and set them beof the truck, and if truck, for thus providing a warning signal and preventing accidents. Heretofore no flares have been produced for use with pleasure cars.

It is my present purpose to provide a flare assembly which can be readily and conveniently used with an ordinary automobile.

In the accompanying reference numeral i tainer in the form of a verti drical can, preferably of sheet metal.

provided, a

drawing I have used the l) to indicate generally a concal elongated cylin- The conlittle above with an annular outwardly extending flange for the container a dome sh I2. I have provided aped top or cap 13,

May 2, 1936, Serial No. 77,503

having a peripheral downwardly extending flange l4. adapted to set over the flange I2. I preferably glue on the inside of the cap 3 a gasket I5 adapted to rest on the flange i2 when the cap is on the container. The cap is preferably assembled on the container in the following manner.

On the container below the rib i2 is an annular ring l6 having at its upper edge an annular, outwardly extending flange ll. On opposite sides the flange i? has the upwardly extending ears l8.

Pivoted to the ears it are the arms of a stiff wire These parts are so arranged that the cap can' be swung up to position above the container and resting on the container, and the bell crank locking lever can then be swung down to the position shown in Figure 2, for resiliently locking the cap in place and holding the gasket tightly against the flange l2. When the locking lever 2! is in this locking position, the cross member of the yoke it is slightly off center in one direction. By swinging the free arm of the locking lever upwardly, the cross arm of the yoke l9 may be swung over center, and a little farther movement of the locking lever tends to raise the cover away from the container. The cover can then be swung free of the container to the position, for instance, shown in Figure 3 in dotted lines, and thence downwardly to the side of the container, as shown in full lines in Figure 3.

On the ring 16 is a bracket 23, which may be bolted or screwed as for instance on the front side of the dash of an automobile, as illustrated in Figure 1. The container is intended to hold a fuel, as for instance kerosene, and also one or more flares;

I shall now d scribe the preferred form of the flare to be used with the container.

The flare indicated at A in Figure 4. for exarn pie comprises a container having a bottom half 24 and an upper half 25 welded or otherwise secured together at the top of the member 2A and the bottom of the member 25 along a rib 2'5. The under side of thecontainer A is provided with an Lip-struck or upset central part 21, which is preferably adapted to partially receive the burner of a lower flare when the flares are stacked (see Figure 2).

The upper member 25 of the flare A is formed with a central wick opening 28 from which extends an upwardly extending wick tube 29. Each flare is provided with a burner comprising a lower tubular member 30, preferably welded to the lower part of the tube 29 on the outside thereof, and preferably flared toward its upper end. The upper half of the burner is in the form of an inverted cap 3i having its lower edge secured to the upper edge of the member 30, and provided with an opening 32 in its top and with openings 33 in its wall.

The top of the member 25 of the flare body A is provided on one side of the wick tube with an up-struck portion 34 having an outlet vent 35. On the opposite side of the wick tube is a downstruck portion 36 having an inlet vent 31.

A chain or other flexible device 38 is fastened preferably to the burner and it may have a ring 39 at its free end. I

I use an asbestos wick 4! mounted in the wick tube and extending down into the'flare.

{I preferably use two flares with each container. If the container is partially filled with a suitable fuel 40, such for instance as kerosene, the user can take hold of the chain attached to the flare and let the flare down into the liquid. The next flare can then be dropped into the container, and pushed down until it sets on the lower flare, as shown in Figure 2. .The amount of liquid prefferably usedis enough to stand well above the part 34 of the upper flare when the flares are first put into the container.

;--By providing the raised opening and the lowered opening 31, the flares will automatically fill with liquid when immersed in it. The liquid will'enter through the opening 31, and the air will emerge through the opening 35. The rings 39 of the chains are hung on'the hook 22, the cap is locked in position, and the device is then ready for transportation or storage.

-When it is desired to use the flare, the cover is lifted and the ring for the upper flare is taken off the hook 22, and the flare is taken out. The other flare can similarly be taken out when desired. The flare can be lighted with a match and carried with the chain.

If the flare is used in connection with an automobile as a warning when the driver is compelled to stop on the highway, the flare can be set on the highway near the automobile in much the same manner that flares are used in connection with trucks. Flares of this kind have, of course, a great variety of uses. The device is adapted for use by campers, workmen on construction jobs, and so on.

The construction herein disclosed has a number of advantages. It aflords a flare which is very simple of construction and is economical to make and use.

All that is necessary to replenish the fuel supply in the flare itself is to drop it into the container so that it is submerged to the point where it can take in a new supply of fuel. The user need not have any contact with the fuel, because he can handle the flare by taking hold of the ring on the chain.

One important advantage of the construction herein shown lies in the fact that the flares may be carried in a container without any particular means for locking them in position, and yet when the container has fuel in it, the flares will not knock against the walls to their injury or the injury of the Walls, or in such a way as to be noisy. The fluid will prevent any rattling.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a construction of the kind described, a vertically elongated cylindrical container, a cover therefor adapted to close the container and form a liquid-tight seal therewith, a plurality of flares stacked in the container and adapted to be substantially submerged in fuel therein, each flare having a body with an upward inset center bottom portion and each having a burner projecting upwardly into the bottom of the next upper flare, a flexible member connected to each burner near the lower part thereof, and means on the cover engaging and holding one end of each flexible member, the flexible members being quickly deflare having in its top tachable at one end, each a down-struck portion and an 11D-strllk portion each having an opening.

2. In a structure of the kind described, the combination of a liquid container having a removable tight cover with aplurality of disconnected separate flares arranged in stacked position in the container, each flare having an upwardly projecting burner, the flares having coacting parts to maintain them in stacked position, a flexible device detachably connecting each flare with said cover, whereby upon lifting the cover the flexible members may be conveniently used to remove the flares from the container.

3. The combination of a container having a body element and a removable tight cover element, with a pluralityof flares stacked in the container, each comprising a hollow metal body with a burner at its top, and having spaced holes in the upper part of the hollow body spaced from the burner for the passage of liquid fuel and gas and air, the flares having coacting parts to permit their being stacked without. closing said holes. 4. The combination of a container having a body element and a removable tight cover element, with a plurality of flares stacked in the container, each comprising ahollow metal body with a burner at its top, and having spaced holes in the upper part of the hollow body spaced from the burner for the passageof liquid fuel and gas and air, the flares having .coacting parts to permit their being stacked without closing said holes, and flexible members connected to the respective flares, with their free ends supported adjacent the upper part of the container.

5. The combination of a container having a body element and a removable, tight cover elecomprising a hollow metal body with a burner at its top, and having spaced holes in the upper part of the hollow body spaced from the burner for the passage of liquid fuel and gas and air,.the flares having coacting parts to permit their beingv stacked without closing said holes, and flare lifting members connected to the respective flares with their free ends adjacent the upper part of the container.

'6. The combination ofa container having a body element and a removable tight cover element, with a plurality of flares stacked in the container, each comprising a hollow metal body with a burner at its top, and having spaced holes in the upper part of the hollow body spaced from the burner for the passage of liquid fuel and gas and air, the flares having coacting parts closing said holes. 7. In a structure of the kind described, the combination of a liquid container having a reto maintain them in stacked position without movable tight cover with a plurality of disconnected separate flares arranged in stacked position in the container, each flare having an upwardly projecting burner, the flares having coacting parts to maintain them in stacked position, a flexible device detachably connecting each flare with said cover, whereby upon lifting the cover the flexible members may be conveniently used to remove the flares from the container, each flare having spaced holes in its top for the passage of fuel, gas and air.

8. In a structure of the kind described, the

combination of a liquid container having a removable tight cover, with a plurality of disconnected separate flares arranged in stacked position in the container, each flare having a body and an upwardly projecting burner, the body of each flare being provided in its upper part with holes spaced from each other and from the burner for the passage of fuel, gas and air, the flares having coacting parts to maintain them in spaced position without closing said holes.

CLARK M. BOLSER. 

